Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Overview

Although the dangers of alcohol during pregnancy had long been suspected,
fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) was formally described in 1968 by P. Lemoine and
colleagues from Nantes (France) in 127 children of alcoholic parents. Their
report in a French pediatric journal drew little attention. Focus on FAS only
came after it was independently redescribed in 1973 by K.L. Jones and colleagues
from Seattle (U.S.) in eight children of mothers with chronic alcoholism. Their
report in the British medical journal The Lancet triggered an avalanche of
reports of FAS.

Alcohol is capable of causing birth defects. This capability classifies
it medically as a teratogen. Alcohol is now recognized as the leading
teratogen to which the fetus is likely to be exposed. This applies only to
societies in which alcoholic beverages are consumed. In these populations,
prenatal alcohol exposure is thought to be the most common cause of mental
retardation. In fact, according to research published in Pediatrics, alcohol use among women of childbearing age (18-44 years) "constitutes a leading, preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the U.S."